Emergency crews in New York City pressed on with search and rescue operations on Thursday, one day after a three-story residential building collapsed in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, killing at least eight people and injuring 18 others.
The New York City Fire Department said Thursday that additional victims had been recovered from the site, raising the toll from the Wednesday collapse. City officials said more than 250 firefighters and emergency workers had been deployed to the scene as the effort to locate survivors continued.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said six people were declared dead at the scene of the collapse. Two more victims later died in a hospital, bringing the confirmed death toll to eight.
Mamdani addressed the disaster at a press conference on Wednesday as first responders worked through the debris. Images from the scene showed firefighters navigating the wreckage of the building and rescuing at least one person from the rubble.
Among those at the site was New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who was seen consoling a man after his pregnant wife was pulled from the rubble alive.
By Thursday, the operation at the site had begun to shift toward recovery and cleanup. An excavator moved debris at the scene while a drone flew overhead surveying the damage. Members of the fire department were also seen working on the roof of a neighboring building.
Residents of the surrounding area watched as cleanup got underway in Flatbush, with onlookers gathering near the scene a day after the collapse drew a massive emergency response.
City officials have not yet said what caused the building to collapse. Search efforts remained ongoing as of Thursday, and officials indicated the casualty count could change as crews continue working through the site.
